Chemical Processing

Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) provides comprehensive services and support for Sasol’s synthetic fuels and chemicals complex in Secunda, South Africa.

Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) provides comprehensive services and support for Sasol’s synthetic fuels and chemicals complex in Secunda, South Africa through its new Assurane 360 Services program, including diagnostic system monitoring, automated incident management, technical assistance, parts management, site-based support and ongoing system upgrades. The Secunda facility converts coal into synthetic crude oil to produce fuels and a broad range of chemicals.
Honeywell’s Assurance 360 services are multi-year cooperative service arrangements to maintain, support and optimize the performance of Honeywell control systems regardless of the industry or size of operations. The services focus on system performance and outcomes while…

Rockwell Automation and Cisco released a white paper and design and implementation guide titled, “Deploying 802.11 Wireless LAN Technology within a Converged Plantwide Ethernet Architecture.” The detailed design guidance will help control system engineers, IT network engineers, and system integrators implement standard, IP-based wireless networks in a more robust, secure and scalable way, according to Rockwell Automation.
The guide provides in-depth information on 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN) solutions within a Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE) architecture, including design considerations for fixed position, nomadic and mobile equipment use cases. It also includes explanations for how to configure, maintain and troubleshoot WLAN for…

Liquid analyzers have been used for years in industrial applications for pH, conductivity, oxygen, chlorine and other measurements. In recent years, it has become common practice to have line-powered multiparameter analyzers make two or more…

Better integration of data and more powerful software enhance efforts.

Chemical manufacturers are able to collect a wealth of production data but effectively using those data to improve reliability remains a challenge for many firms. However, some operating companies such as Salalah Methanol Company (SMC), Honeywell…

A collaborative research project between Freeman Technology and GEA Pharma Systems provides new insight into the development of continuous tablet manufacturing processes.

A collaborative research project between Freeman Technology and GEA Pharma Systems provides new insight into the development of continuous tablet manufacturing processes. Within the pharmaceutical industry, the replacement of batch tablet production units with continuous manufacturing suites has the potential to significantly improve efficiency and reduce costs, according to Freeman Technology. A primary research focus is identifying metrics that provide a sound basis for the effective control of continuous manufacturing processes.
GEA’s ConsiGma 1 continuous granulation unit produces granules for tableting, which are then characterized using Freeman Technology’s FT4 Powder Rheometer. Direct correlations are observed between the flow…

The right preparation and team are essential

Commissioning/startup is the most critical and busiest phase of a project. Design flaws, hidden manufacturing problems, and construction and installation errors will become apparent during commissioning/startup and usually will mandate immediate…

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Consider several factors to determine the best choice

Spray technology ranges from rudimentary (a hose-end nozzle for watering lawns) to rocket science (liquid injectors in rocket engines). Hundreds of different spray nozzles are available for process plant applications. So picking the optimum one can…

A collaborative research project between Freeman Technology and GEA Pharma Systems provides new insight into the development of continuous tablet manufacturing processes.

A collaborative research project between Freeman Technology and GEA Pharma Systems provides new insight into the development of continuous tablet manufacturing processes. Within the pharmaceutical industry, the replacement of batch tablet production units with continuous manufacturing suites has the potential to significantly improve efficiency and reduce costs, according to Freeman Technology. A primary research focus is identifying metrics that provide a sound basis for the effective control of continuous manufacturing processes.
GEA’s ConsiGma 1 continuous granulation unit produces granules for tableting, which are then characterized using Freeman Technology’s FT4 Powder Rheometer. Direct correlations are observed between the flow…

Group has developed new method for olefin cross-coupling

A powerful but straightforward method for olefin cross-coupling enables synthesis of compounds previously impractical or even impossible to make, claim its developers at the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif. The technique allows…

One option to infer internal flow rate in a column rarely makes sense

Some processes reward close control of liquid and vapor rates inside distillation columns. Conventional control approaches use a variation of flow metering based on either imposing a pressure drop inside the tower or drawing the stream out of the…

Temperature rises can cause significant increases in equipment size or pipe length, leading to potential damage from internal stress.

Many process plants operate equipment at temperatures well above ambient. The temperature rise during operation may cause significant increases in equipment size or pipe length. Unless allowed to expand, the equipment and pipe may reach the failure…

The Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA) announced the EASA Accreditation Program for accreditation of electric motor repair service providers.

The Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA) announced the EASA Accreditation Program for accreditation of electric motor repair service providers. The program provides assurance to electric motor end-users that repairs performed at accredited facilities conform to industry standards and maintain the reliability and efficiency of the repaired motor. These standards are contained in the American National Standards Institute approved ANSI/EASA AR100: Recommended Practice for the Repair of Rotating Electrical Equipment.
The EASA Accreditation Program includes over 70 separate criteria relating to electric motor repair. These criteria address the initial condition assessment of the failed motor and the repair of the motor’s…

Better integration of data and more powerful software enhance efforts.

Chemical manufacturers are able to collect a wealth of production data but effectively using those data to improve reliability remains a challenge for many firms. However, some operating companies such as Salalah Methanol Company (SMC), Honeywell…

The state boasts one of the nation’s largest concentrations of “advanced industry workers.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there’s no shortage of technical know-how in California. In fact, the state boasts one of the nation’s largest concentrations of “advanced industry workers,” according to an article from Sci-Tech Today. A report by the Brookings Institution found that San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego had among the country’s largest share of high tech workers, a group that includes highly skilled software designers, architects, medical equipment manufacturers and web developers. The average pay in the state for high tech jobs is $90,000, twice the average pay for opportunities in other industries.
Advanced industries are defined by Brookings as ones that spend a significant amount on research and development, and…

A few key books should underpin your collection.

Over thirty years ago, I started collecting articles and books for my professional library. I lugged this collection all over: from California to Michigan, then elsewhere and, finally, to Ohio. Until about 10 years ago, I had 20-to-30 years’ worth…

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The Great Lakes are teeming with microfibers, super-fine filaments made of petroleum-based materials like nylon and polyester woven into garments, cleaning cloths and other products.

First, it was microbeads, the abrasive beads used in personal care products. Now, say scientists, the Great Lakes are teeming with microfibers, super-fine filaments made of petroleum-based materials like nylon and polyester woven into garments, cleaning cloths and other products, according to an article at Sci-Tech Today. When a fleece pullover makes its way through the wash, thousands of the synthetic fibers break free, go down the drain and eventually end up in bodies of water.
It gets worse. Rather than passing through, the microfibers hang up in the gastrointestinal tracts of area fish and birds in ways other microplastics don't. They may also be in drinking water piped from the Lakes, says Sherri Mason, a chemist with the State…

Background
Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, the EPA identified potential issues presented by PFOS, a perfluorinated acid. Data showed PFOS to be present in low levels in humans and wildlife worldwide, and that PFOS appeared to be highly…

Background
Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, the EPA identified potential issues presented by PFOS, a perfluorinated acid. Data showed PFOS to be present in low levels in humans and wildlife worldwide, and that PFOS appeared to be highly…

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The president’s proposed 2016 budget calls for a 6% increase in R&D funding to $146 billion.

If President Obama has his way, R&D funding is in line for a boost next year. The president’s proposed 2016 budget calls for a 6% increase in R&D funding to $146 billion, according to an article in Chemistry World. Some $67 billion of this would go toward basic and applied research.
The National Science Foundation would receive $7.7 billion and its chemistry division would see its funding grow by 3% to more than $251 million under the president’s plan. The aspirational budget also addresses chemical safety in the form of increased monies for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. Increased funding is also indicated for the National Institutes of Health for biomedical research, the U.S. Department of Agriculture for competitive grants,…

New research aims to better understand and mitigate threats from hackers or malware.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the U.K.’s main agency for funding research in engineering and physical sciences, and the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Program are to jointly invest £2.5 million ($4 million) to help recognize and reduce cyber-attack threats to the nation’s critical infrastructure. (For more about cyber security, see “Defeat Targeted Cyber Attacks.”)The new research will particularly focus on the U.K.’s vital industrial control systems that run manufacturing plants, power stations, the electricity grid, and the rail network. The idea is to help better understand and mitigate threats from hackers or malware infiltrating the systems behind the infrastructure.The funds are to be…

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Agency wants to modernize process safety management regulations

On December 1, 2014, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced that its “Most Wanted Safety Improvement” is to modernize U.S. process safety management (PSM) regulations. Specifically, the CSB notes implementation of key federal and state…

Air Liquide and Sasol signed a long-term agreement for the supply of industrial gases for Sasol’s Secunda, South Africa site.

Air Liquide and Sasol signed a long-term agreement for the supply of industrial gases for Sasol’s Secunda, South Africa site. Air Liquide will design, build and operate a new air separation unit (ASU) with a total capacity of 5,000 tons of oxygen per day, according to the company. Construction is expected to be complete by December 2017.
For more information, visit: www.airliquide.com…

Team receives honor for hydrogen-related work

The Division of Catalysis Science and Technology of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Washington, D.C., and the society’s journal ACS Catalysis have chosen Morris Bullock, Daniel DuBois and the Hydrogen Catalysis Team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., for the 2015 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science. This is the first time that a team has won the lectureship, which honors research that leads to better understanding of the links among the various sub-disciplines of catalysis and also advances the field of catalysis as a whole.
According to the judges, the Hydrogen Catalysis Team’s research has revolutionized the understanding of the role of proton movement in the…

Switching to more environmentally friendly materials poses tradeoffs

Regulatory pressures are forcing the phase-out of many widely used refrigeration gases and their replacement with more environmentally friendly alternatives. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled in October that domestic…

Multifaceted worldwide initiative significantly reduces consumption.

The old adage what gets measured gets managed is a concept that is particularly true for water consumption at Air Products, Allentown, Pa.
Air Products consumes approximately 15 billion gallons of water each year at our facilities worldwide. We…

Process improvements such as high-yield catalysts, equipment advances, better design and process control changes can result in substantial energy savings. However, it’s not always necessary to look for complex process changes to save energy. Simple modifications to operations also can complement energy optimization efforts, resulting in significant energy savings. Here are some examples.Plants often use equipment designed to operate only during abnormal operations in normal situations. Operating a burner over 40–50% excess air level, instead of the optimum 10–20% level is one such example. Opportunities similar to this exist in plants that run multi-stage processes. In petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants, the product of one…

Ashland's New distributor Agreement Improves Supply and Delivery

AkzoNobel is to invest almost 50 million (US$67 million) in its Performance Coatings activities after agreeing to two acquisitions that will boost the companys Car Refinishes and Industrial Finishes businesses.

UE Systems two-day course provides both classroom and field experience.

Honeywell International recently announced Jack Bolick, president of Honeywell Process Solutions, has been named Frost & Sullivan's 2008 North American Process Automation Lifetime Achievement Award winner.